Name: A Gathering of Shadows Collector's Edition
Rating: 4.277591973244147 (897 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250222060

V.E. Schwab

A Novel

A Gathering of Shadows Collector's Edition

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London. In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagent international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port. But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall.

A Gathering of Shadows

Marija

Can't wait for the final book. I love this serie :-)

another masterpiece from schwab! truly, this is one of my favorite worlds to immerse myself in. i love everything about it, the way the magic is alive is so captivating and unique. the sharp contrast between the four London's, the glimmer of magic hiding, waiting to be rekindled. 

as for the characters, i initially disliked Lila, because the whole "i'm so strong i've done this and that and i'm not like other girls" spiel is quite annoying, but she grew on me towards the end of this book. the fact that she got to have her girly moment and didn't immediately turn away in disgust redeemed her pretty well in my eyes. i loved being able to see inside of Rhy's head as well, and get to know him as more than the pretty fuck boy prince.

the plot was interesting enough to leave me guessing, and i love a good tournament. there's something about how schwab writes fight scenes that is soooo addicting. 

all in all, beautiful book, absolutely a 5 star read!

another masterpiece from schwab! truly, this is one of my favorite worlds to immerse myself in. i love everything about it, the way the magic is alive is so captivating and unique. the sharp contrast between the four London's, the glimmer of magic hiding, waiting to be rekindled. 

as for the characters, i initially disliked Lila, because the whole "i'm so strong i've done this and that and i'm not like other girls" spiel is quite annoying, but she grew on me towards the end of this book. the fact that she got to have her girly moment and didn't immediately turn away in disgust redeemed her pretty well in my eyes. i loved being able to see inside of Rhy's head as well, and get to know him as more than the pretty fuck boy prince.

the plot was interesting enough to leave me guessing, and i love a good tournament. there's something about how schwab writes fight scenes that is soooo addicting. 

all in all, beautiful book, absolutely a 5 star read!

omg this was everything i wsnted it to be LOVED IT AAAA I LOVE THEN ALM SO MUCH MY BABIESSS cant wait to start the third one

ploral

2.5 stars

The book was okay, kind of like a filler which is how some series work and I really hate it when that happens. The end was when the real exciting stuff began but we didn't get to see it so that's fun.

A Gathering of Shadows (A Darker Shade of Magic)

i’m almost forgot how much i love this 

Julia <3

Tatiana

A Gathering of Shadows: 4.5/5


   “Everyone thinks I have a death wish, you know? But I don't want to die - dying is easy. No, I want to live, but getting close to death is the only way to feel alive. And once you do, it makes you realize that everything you were doing before wasn't living. It was just making do. Call me crazy, but I think we make the best living when the stakes are high.”

Premise:
Taking place four months after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, Red London is preparing for the Elemental Games, an international competition of elemental magic meant to entertain. This draws many people back to the city, including Delilah Bard. Not all is fun and games, as another London is slowly coming back to life and will take another in its wake. 

Writing & Plot:
Unsure if this is an unpopular opinion, but I liked this book more than the first. Since we're familiar with the world, we jump right into the story and are immediately met with our favorite characters. This series is easy to fall back into, and reading about these characters again was like meeting an old friend. The writing flows so effortlessly as always. I can't get enough of V.E. Schwab.

I thought the plot was intriguing, and I enjoyed reading about the Elemental Games so much. The games reminded me of Avatar the Last Air Bender, and I am so here for it! I also enjoyed the slow buildup of tension and the almost-reunions of Lilah and Kell. It made the ending all the more satisfying and heartbreaking.GOSH, THAT END!! How am I going to wait to read the last one? IDK.


  “Whatever I am, let it be enough”

Characters:
I cannot get enough of Kell and Lilah. I can't pinpoint what it is about them that I enjoy so much, but they are fascinating. These books DO IT for me. Lilah Bard continues to hold her title as one of my favorite literary characters of all time. She speaks to my SOUL! 

Not only do we get fantastic Kell and Lilah content, but we meet a bunch of new side characters and reunite with some old ones as well. V.E. Schwab's ability to breathe life into a page will never cease to amaze me. I never get confused about her characters because every single one has a purpose and a direction. I love it.

Conclusion:
A Darker Shade of Magic is slowly rising to be one of my favorite series of all time. While different from its predecessor, A Gathering of Shadows is still wildly entertaining, full of political intrigue, action, tension, and a bit of romance. Overall, I did enjoy this book more than the first, and I cannot wait to read the third.

The cliff hanger that this was left on. Thank god I already have the third book because I have so many questions now. The first little bit of this book was slow so it was hard to get through, but this last bit really picked up and was a page turner!!

Lauren Dale

Kell and Lila♥️ Rhy and Alucard❤️

A Gathering of Shadows Collector's Edition A Novel

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